Taglines: We can’t all die first.
The Blackening movie storyline. Morgan and Shawn arrive to a cabin in the woods where they plan on celebrating Juneteenth with their group of friends. In the basement, the couple discovers a board game called “The Blackening”, which features racist caricatures. Suddenly, the lights go out and a mysterious voice demands the couple to play. Shawn answers a question incorrectly and is promptly killed with an arrow to the neck. Morgan attempts to escape but is captured.
The next day, Lisa, Allison, and Dewayne make their way to the cabin and discuss King bringing Lisa’s unfaithful ex-boyfriend Nnamdi for the weekend’s festivities. On her way to the cabin, Shanika runs into a former schoolmate named Clifton at the gas station, who reveals he is also joining the group. Before leaving, Shanika is unnerved by the facially disfigured clerk who stands by her menacingly. Once the group is all together, they find Ranger White not allowing them entry. After settling the dispute, the friends begin to set up for a night of partying.
After drinks, drugs, and games ensue, the group questions who specifically invited Clifton. After the lights go out again, the friends go to find a power box, only to come across The Blackening with game pieces correlating to their personalities. The voice speaks to them, revealing that he is keeping Morgan prisoner. The voice forces the friends to play the game to save Morgan and begins by asking trivia questions about African-American culture. Unfortunately, the friends fail to sufficiently answer a question about all the black actors that guest-starred on Friends and Morgan is attacked.
The Blackening is a 2022 American dark comedy film directed by Tim Story and written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, based on the 2018 short film of the same name by the comedy troupe 3Peat. It stars Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji. The film follows a group of Black American friends staying at a cabin in the woods where they are targeted by a masked killer during Juneteenth.
The Blackening premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16, 2022, and was theatrically released on June 16, 2023, by Lionsgate. The film grossed $17 million and received generally positive reviews, with critics noting the satire of horror film tropes and ethnic stereotypes.
The Blackening (2023)
Directed by: Tim Story
Starring: Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, Yvonne Orji, Diedrich Bader, James Preston Rogers, George Fisher
Screenplay by: Tracy Oliver, Dewayne Perkins
Cinematography by: Todd A. Dos Reis
Film Editing by: Peter S. Elliot
Costume Design by: Angela Hadnagy
Set Decoration by: Bryant Berry
Art Direction by: Matt Falletta
Music by: Dexter Story
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, violence and drug use.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: June 16, 2023
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